Documents from Old Jewish Algeria

The Algerian Jewish community dates back to the second temple period. Algerian Jewry had very close ties with their brethren in Spain, Morocco, and later France. In 1391 the Algerian community accepted many Sephardic Jews from Spain who were escaping religious intolerance and persecution.

This first is a document called "Shmeria Le'Yeled Ul'Yoledet" from the Hevra Kadisha (burial society) from Tlemcen, Algeria. It was published in 1924.
Tlemcen was a small community which never exceeded 6000 people. There was a Jewish quarter in Tlemcen. There is a famous tomb of Haham Ephraim Al-Naqawa located outside the city walls. There is an annual spring pilgrimage that linked the synagogues of the medina to the Haham's tomb. This is a document of protection against evil for a newborn and its mother by the city's burial society. View High Resolution Image

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This second document is called "Sefer Shirot Ve'Tishbakhot" and is liturgical poems to be recited on festival holidays by the Jews of Tlemcen. It was edited by Shmuel Sultan, Avraham ben Samoun, and Aharon Lakuvi. It was published in 1903. View High Resolution Image 1 View High Resolution Image 2

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